Oral irrigator

ABSTRACT

An oral irrigator may include a body, a reservoir connected to the body, a tip connected to the body, a motor positioned within the body and including a drive shaft, a pinion gear connected to the drive shaft, a driven gear engaged with the pinion gear, a pump body positioned within the body and defining a pump chamber for receiving fluid from the reservoir, a piston positioned within the pump body, wherein the piston slidably engages an interior surface of the pump body to form a fluid-tight seal, and a connecting rod including a first end connected to the piston, a second end eccentrically connected to the driven gear, and a shaft extending from the first end to the second end. The shaft includes a first rib and a second rib spaced apart from the first rib along a length of the shaft.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional ApplicationNo. 16/877,081, filed May 18, 2020, entitled “Oral Irrigator,” which isa continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 14/956,017, filedDec. 1, 2015, entitled “Oral Irrigator,” which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/086,051, filed Dec. 1, 2014, entitled“Waterproof Cordless Oral Irrigator,” and to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/132,319 filed Mar. 12, 2015, entitled “WaterproofCordless Oral Irrigator,” the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to health and personal hygiene equipmentand more particularly, to oral irrigators.

BACKGROUND

Oral irrigators typically are used to clean a user’s teeth and gums bydischarging a pressurized fluid stream into a user’s oral cavity. Thefluid impacts the teeth and gums to remove debris. Many oral irrigatorsinclude electrical components, such as batteries, a motor, or the like.For example, typically oral irrigators include a motor driven pump thatpumps fluid from a reservoir to the tip. Often oral irrigators are usedin a wet environment, such as a bathroom and some users may even takethe irrigators into the shower or bath, but conventional oral irrigatorsare not waterproof, merely water resistant. Hence, conventional oralirrigators may be protected from splashes and incidental fluid contact,but as they are not waterproof may not protect electronic componentswhen submersed in water or exposed to large amounts of water. When waterand other fluids reach the electronic components, the fluids can causethe oral irrigator to malfunction and may even prevent the oralirrigator from operating completely. As such, there is a need for anoral irrigator that is waterproof.

SUMMARY

One example of the present disclosure may take the form of an oralirrigator pump. The oral irrigator pump may include a motor, a pumpbody, a connecting rod, and a diaphragm seal. The connecting rod may beat least partially received within the pump body and movably connectedto the motor and the motor moves the connecting rod between a firstposition and a second position within the pump body. As the connectingrod moves from the first position to the second position, the diaphragmseal deforms from a first orientation to a second orientation.

Another example of the present disclosure may take the form of an oralirrigator. The oral irrigator may include a reservoir, a tip fluidlyconnected to the reservoir, a motor having a drive shaft, and a pumpfluidly connected to the reservoir and the tip. The pump may include apump body including a pump inlet fluidly connected to the reservoir anda pump outlet fluidly connected to the tip, a pinion gear placed on thedrive shaft and including a plurality of pinion gear teeth that curvealong their length, and a driven gear including a plurality of drivengear teeth that mesh with the pinion gear teeth. In this embodiment, thepinion gear teeth and the driven gear teeth are spiral gears withbeveled edges. The pump may also include a connecting rod eccentricallyconnected to the driven gear and a piston connected to a first end ofthe connecting rod and received within the pump body. In operation,movement of the drive shaft of the motor causes the pinion gear torotate, which causes the driven gear to rotate, translating theconnecting rod and moving the piston laterally within the pump body topull fluid from the reservoir and push the fluid to the tip.

Yet another example of the present disclosure may take the form of anoral irrigator including a handle fluidly connected to a reservoir and atip latch assembly connected to the handle. The tip latch assembly mayinclude a latch with an integrally formed biasing structure and at leastone prong selectively movable from an engaged position to a disengagedposition. The tip latch assembly may also include a tip release buttonengaging at least one surface of the latch. To operate the latch, a userexerts a force on the tip release button, which causes the tip releasebutton to exert a force against the at least one surface of the latch,overcoming a biasing force exerted by the biasing structure and causingthe at least one prong to move from the engaged position to thedisengaged position. When the user removes the force from the tiprelease button, the biasing structure exerts the biasing force on thetip release button as the at least one prong moves from the disengagedposition back to the engaged position.

Another example of the present disclosure may take the form of awaterproof oral irrigator. The waterproof oral irrigator may include abody including a front shell and a rear shell connected together todefine a cavity, an interior housing received within the cavity, and acontrol assembly connected to an outer surface of the interior housingand positioned between an interior surface of the front shell and theinterior housing. The waterproof oral irrigator may also include a firstsealing member connected to the front shell and the interior housing,where the first sealing member surrounds the control assembly.

Yet another example of the present disclosure may take the form of anoral irrigation assembly including an oral irrigator and a chargingunit. The oral irrigator includes a housing, at least one rechargeablebattery received within the housing, and at least one housing magnetconnected to the housing. The charging unit is selectively connectableto the housing of the oral irrigator and is configured to provide acharge to the at least one rechargeable battery. The charging unitincludes at least one charger magnet connected to the charging unit,such that the at least one housing magnet and the at least one chargermagnet cooperate to removably connect the charging unit to the housingof the oral irrigator.

Another example of the present disclosure may take the form of an oralirrigator. The oral irrigator includes a body, a reservoir connected tothe body, a tip connected to the body, a motor positioned within thebody and including a drive shaft, a pinion gear connected to the driveshaft, a driven gear engaged with the pinion gear, a pump bodypositioned within the body and defining a pump chamber for receivingfluid from the reservoir, a piston positioned within the pump body,wherein the piston slidably engages an interior surface of the pump bodyto form a fluid-tight seal, and a connecting rod including a first endconnected to the piston, a second end eccentrically connected to thedriven gear, and a shaft extending from the first end to the second end.The shaft includes a first rib and a second rib spaced apart from thefirst rib along a length of the shaft.

While multiple examples are disclosed, still other examples of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description, which shows and describesillustrative examples of the invention. As will be realized, theinvention is capable of modifications in various aspects, all withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded asillustrative in nature and not restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a front isometric view of an oral irrigator.

FIG. 1B is a side elevation view of the oral irrigator.

FIG. 1C is a rear elevation view of the oral irrigator.

FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of the oral irrigator with a chargingunit connected thereto.

FIG. 2B is a side elevation view of the oral irrigator with the chargingunit connected thereto.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the oral irrigator.

FIG. 4 is a rear isometric view of a front shell for the oral irrigator.

FIG. 5A is a cross-section view of the oral irrigator taken along line5A-5A in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the cross-section view of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the oral irrigator with selectelements removed.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the oral irrigator of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8A is a cross-section view of the oral irrigator taken along line8A-8A in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of the cross-section view of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of the oral irrigator taken along line9-9 in FIG. 1C.

FIG. 10A is an isometric view of the drive assembly and the pumpassembly with certain elements removed from clarity.

FIG. 10B is a cross-section view of the drive and pump assemblies takenalong line 10B-10B in FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11A is a top isometric view of a diaphragm seal of the oralirrigator.

FIG. 11B is a cross-section view of the diaphragm seal taken along line11B-11 B in FIG. 11A.

FIG. 11C is a cross-section view of a diaphragm seal included a beadedengagement wall taken along a line similar to 11B-11B in FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-section view of the oral irrigator similarto FIG. 5A.

FIG. 13A is an isometric view of a tip latch assembly for the oralirrigator.

FIG. 13B is a cross-section view of the tip latch assembly taken alongline 13B-13B in FIG. 13A.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged top isometric view of the oral irrigator with thetip collar removed for clarity.

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the oral irrigator of FIG. 14 .

FIG. 16A is an isometric view of a latch chassis for the tip latchassembly for the oral irrigator.

FIG. 16B is an isometric view of a latch for the tip latch assembly forthe oral irrigator.

FIG. 16C is a top-front isometric view of the latch of FIG. 16B.

FIG. 17 is a top isometric view of a tip release button for the tiplatch assembly for the oral irrigator.

FIG. 18A is a top isometric view of a tip collar for the tip latchassembly for the oral irrigator.

FIG. 18B is a bottom isometric view of the tip collar of FIG. 18A.

FIG. 18C is a cross-section view of the tip collar taken along line18C-18C in FIG. 18A.

FIG. 19 is a rear isometric view of a charging unit for the oralirrigator.

FIG. 20 is a cross-section view of the charging unit taken along line20-20 in FIG. 19 .

FIG. 21 is an exploded view of a coil assembly for the charging unit ofFIG. 20 .

FIG. 22 is an isometric view of the charging unit connected to the oralirrigator with select components removed for clarity.

FIG. 23A is a partial cross-section enlarged view of the oral irrigatorsimilar to FIG. 12 during an upstroke of the pumping assembly.

FIG. 23B is a partial cross-section enlarged view similar to FIG. 23Aduring a transition between the upstroke position and down-strokeposition.

FIG. 23C is a partial cross-section enlarged view similar to FIG. 23Aduring a down-stroke of the pumping assembly.

FIG. 24 is a simplified view of the tip latch assembly with selectelements removed for clarity.

FIG. 25 is a cross-section view of another example of the oral irrigatorof FIG. 1 taken along line similar to line 5A-5A in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 26 is bottom plan view of the oral irrigator of FIG. 1 including aslide latch.

FIG. 27 is an enlarged cross-section view of the oral irrigator of FIG.26 taken along line 27-27 in FIG. 26 .

FIG. 28 is an isometric view of a latch for the slide latch of FIG. 26 .

FIG. 29 is a bottom plan view of the reservoir for the oral irrigator ofFIG. 26 .

FIG. 30A is a top isometric view of a venting assembly for the batterycompartment.

FIG. 30B is a cross-sectional view of the venting assembly of FIG. 30Ataken along line 30B-30B in FIG. 30A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some examples of the present disclosure include a cordless oralirrigator. The cordless oral irrigator may include an integrated handleand reservoir to allow the irrigator to be held in a user’s hand withoutrequiring cords or hoses extending to a base station to provide fluidcommunication to a reservoir and/or electrical communication to a powersource. The oral irrigator of the present disclosure may include a body,a tip, a reservoir, a control panel, a power source, and a driveassembly. The power source in many embodiments will be a battery orother rechargeable component that can provide portable electricity tothe drive assembly. However, it should be noted that multiple aspects ofthe present disclosure can be incorporated into a countertop oralirrigator.

The oral irrigator may include a number of waterproofing elements thathelp to ensure that water (and other fluids) do not enter into certaincompartments or reach certain components, e.g., the motor and battery.In one example, the oral irrigator may include three separate waterproofcompartments, one for the control assembly, one for a charging assembly,and one for the motor and batteries. The waterproofing elements mayallow the oral irrigator to be waterproof and be able to function evenif dropped into a meter or more of water. The waterproofing elementsseal the outer surface of the oral irrigator to prevent water fromentering into the internal compartments, as well seal internalcompartments within the irrigator, so that if there are internal leakswithin the oral irrigator, fluid from the reservoir, pump, and/or tipdoes not damage any electrical components. The waterproofing elementsare discussed in more detail below, but some examples include sealsbetween the control panel and the body or housing, overmolded buttons onthe control panel, and ultrasonically welding a portion of the controlpanel to the body of the oral irrigator. Alternatively or additionally,the oral irrigator may include components that are coated with asuper-hydrophobic coating to help protect electronic components fromdamage. The waterproofing elements allow the oral irrigator to receivean IPX7 waterproof rating under the International Protection Markingstandard, which means that the device is suitable in immersion in fluidup to 1 meter.

In some embodiments the drive assembly may include a motor, a pump, anda linkage connecting the pump to the motor. The linkage may include apinion gear and a driven gear, with the pinion gear being receivedaround a drive shaft of the motor and the driven gear meshing with thepinion gear. In one example the driven gear and the pinion gear arebevel gears mounted on shafts arranged approximately 90 degrees relativeto one another. The gears of the linkage may be configured to transmitan eccentric motion to the pump, which will be discussed in more detailbelow. In one embodiment, both the pinion gear and the driven gear mayinclude helical or spiral-shaped gear teeth. That is, the gear teeth onboth gears may be curved along their length. The spiral shape of thepinion gear and the driven gear of the present disclosure, although theymay be more difficult to machine and manufacture, have a reduced noiselevel as compared to straight teeth gears.

Conventional oral irrigating devices typically include gears, such ascrown gears, with substantially straight gear teeth having a 90 degreepitch cone. Crown gears are relatively easy to manufacture, allow largertolerances, and have a high efficiency, but with crown gears only oneset of teeth carries the load at a time. In particular, with straightcut gears (such as crown gears), the load cannot be distributed. On thecontrary, with the spiral shape of the gears of the present disclosure,multiple teeth can carry the load at a time, which increases the loadthat can be handled by the linkage, as well as makes the gears lesssusceptible to failure.

The spiral shape of the gear teeth further have effectively larger sizedteeth as compared to a similarly sized crown gear since the teeth extenddiagonally rather than straight across. Also, the angle of the teeth ofthe gears engages more gradually, since the pitch is less than 90degrees. The gradual engagement of the teeth of the spiral gears reducesthe noise, as well as allows the gears to mesh more smoothly. Spiralgears have an increased durability as compared to crown gears andtherefore have improved reliability and create less noise. However,spiral gears require tight tolerances to manufacture as the axial,radial, and vertical positions, as well as the shaft angle, should becorrect to allow the gear to run smoothly and avoid excessive wear.Further, spiral gears have a greater sliding friction as compared tocrown gears and therefore may be less efficient than crown gears.

In some embodiments, the oral irrigator may include a diaphragm sealthat seals the pump from the electrical components of the oral irrigator(e.g., the motor and the power source). The diaphragm seal connects to apiston rod or connecting rod of the pump that moves a piston to pumpfluid from the reservoir to the tip. The diaphragm seal includes a rodaperture through which the piston rod is received. The diaphragm seal issecured to the position rod and is secured to a pump body or otherlocation along an exterior of the pump. The diaphragm is connected sothat as the connecting rod moves to drive the piston, the diaphragmmoves correspondingly, but does not rub against any surfaces as itmoves. This increases the durability of the diaphragm as it reduces weardue to friction and, because the diaphragm does not experience frictionduring use, the diaphragm does not reduce the efficiency of the pump.

The oral irrigator may also include a removably attachable chargingdevice. The charging device may selectively attach to the body andcharge the power source, such as the battery, when connected. As anexample, the charging device may include one or more magnets thatmagnetically couple to one or more body magnets positioned with the bodyof the oral irrigator. When the charging device is connected to thebody, a first induction coil of the charging device is positioned toalign with a second induction coil in the body of the oral irrigator soas to induce a current flow in the second induction coil. In someembodiments, the charging device may generally conform to the shape ofthe oral irrigator body. This allows the charging device to moresecurely connect to the body, as well as provide an aestheticallypleasing uniform appearance between the body of the oral irrigator andthe charger. Further, the charger may also include a plurality ofcooling grooves defined on a side of the charger housing. The coolinggrooves allow airflow between the oral irrigator and the charger whenthe oral irrigator is charging, which dissipates heat and helps toprevent damage to components, such as the housing of the irrigatorand/or charger, due to the heat generated by the coils during charging.

Overview of the Oral Irrigator

Turning to the figures, FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate various views of an oralirrigator 100 in accordance with the present disclosure, FIGS. 2A and 2Billustrate the oral irrigator 100 with a removable charger attachedthereto, FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the oral irrigator 100 of FIG.1A. With reference now to FIGS. 1A-1C, the oral irrigator 100 mayinclude a body 102, a reservoir 104, a tip 106, and a control panel 108.The removable tip 106 connects to the body 102 and is releasable througha tip release button 120. A tip collar 110 may surround the tip 106 atthe connection to the body 102. The various components of the oralirrigator will be discussed in more detail below.

The body 102 may be contoured to comfortably fit in the hand of a user.For example, as shown in FIGS. 1A-1C the body 102 may include a broadbottom that tapers upward to form a waist having a smaller diameter thanthe bottom, the body 102 then expands outwards again to form a topportion. The location of the waist may be selected so as to be aboutthree-quarters of the height from the bottom of the body 102, or inother locations that may be desired or determined comfortable for auser’s hand to grip the irrigator 100. The shape of the body 102 mayalso be selected to be a shape that is aesthetically appealing, whilestill allowing a user to comfortably grip the body 102.

The body 102 may also include one or more gripping elements. As oneexample, the body 102 may include a grip surface 118 (see FIG. 1C) on aback surface of the body 102. The grip surface 118 includes a pluralityof raised ridges, bumps, or other features, that increase the frictioncoefficient of the body 102 to help a user hold the body 102 withoutslipping. Other gripping features may be defined on other elements ofthe irrigator 100, such as the reservoir 104, tip collar 110, and so on,as discussed in more detail below.

With reference to FIG. 3 , the body 102 may include a front shell 138and a back shell 140 that connect together to form the outer housing forthe irrigator 100. The two shells 138, 140 may be connected together todefine a cavity that receives various internal components of the oralirrigator 100, e.g., the drive assembly and power assembly. The shells138, 140 may be configured with various internal features that areconfigured to receive and support various components of the irrigator100, as well as features that allow the two shells to connect togetherin a sealing manner. In one embodiment, the front shell 138 may besomewhat longer than the rear shell 140 as the rear shell 140 is shapedto accommodate the reservoir 104. However, in other embodiments, the twoshells may be substantially the same length and/or shape.

The front shell 138 will now be discussed in more detail. FIG. 4 is arear isometric view of the front shell 138 of the body 102. Withreference to FIGS. 1A, 3, and 4 , the front shell 138 may include one ormore sealing features 142, 144 extending from an interior surface 150 ofthe front shell 138. The sealing features 142, 144 may be generally ovalshaped and define a compartment for receiving one or more components ofthe oral irrigator 100, e.g., the control and power assemblies. Thesealing features 142, 144 also are configured to accommodate one or moresealing gaskets, such as O-rings or other sealing members, to protectthe components positioned within the sealing features 142, 144 fromfluid.

The front shell 138 may further include a plurality of connecting posts152 a-152 k. The connecting posts 152 a-152 k may assist in aligning thefront shell 138 with the back shell 140 as well as connecting the twoshells 138, 140 together. For example, the connecting posts 152 a-152 kmay be configured to align with corresponding posts on the rear shell140 and receive fasteners, e.g., press fit pins, screws, or othermechanisms, to secure the posts 152 a-152 k of the front shell 138 withthose on the rear shell 140. Some of the connecting posts 152 a-152 kmay instead be used to connect various internal components as well.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1A, 3, and 4 , the front shell 138 ofthe body 102 may also include a window panel 146. The window panel 146seats within an aperture formed in the front shell 138 and connectsalong an edge to the front shell 138. Additionally, the front shell 138includes a plurality of light windows 148 a, 148 b, 148 c, 148 d. Thelight windows 148 a, 148 b, 148 c, 148 d may include a transparentmaterial positioned in front or otherwise allow light to be transmittedtherethrough. The window panel 146 may be welded ultrasonically to thebody 102 once the control assembly and power assembly have beenelectrically connected together, as discussed in more detail below.Thus, the window panel 146 allows select components of the oralirrigator to be connected together and accessible during assembly, butafter assembly, the panel 146 can be ultrasonically welded to the frontshell 138 to prevent fluids from leaking into the body 102.

With reference to FIG. 4 , the front shell 138 may also include aplurality of cavities to receive one or more magnets which, as describedin more detail below, are used to selectively connect the charger to theoral irrigator 100 and/or to activate the charger. For example, a firstmagnet recess 446 may be defined on an interior of the shell 138 withina portion surrounded by the second sealing feature 144. Two magnetpockets 448 a, 448 b may be defined on opposing longitudinal sides ofthe sealing feature 144. It should be noted that the magnet pockets 448a, 448 b may be defined in any location as desired, but typically willbe located adjacent the location of the power assembly and circuit board196 (see FIG. 6 ), so as to align the charger unit 134 with theinduction coils and other related components.

The control panel 108 may be connected to the front shell 138 of thebody 102. With reference to FIGS. 1A, 2A, and 3 , the control panel 108includes a power button 112 and a mode button 114 that provide an inputmechanism to allow a user to operate the oral irrigator 100. The twobuttons 112, 114 are connected to and extend away from the front shell138. The two buttons 112, 114 may be compressed to selectively change astate of the oral irrigator 100, such as turning the irrigator 100 on oroff or changing the mode of the irrigator 100, as will be discussed inmore detail below. In one embodiment, the buttons 112, 114 areovermolded with the front shell 138, which helps to further waterproofthe oral irrigator 100. For example the buttons 112, 114 may be formedof a thermoplastic elastomer material and the front shell 138 may be athermoplastic material so that when the buttons 112, 114 are molded tothe front shell 138 a chemical bond is formed so that the seal betweenthe buttons 112, 114 and the front shell 138 is waterproof. The buttons112, 114 may also include raised areas that form contacts for switcheson the control assembly as will be discussed in more detail below.

The reservoir 104 of the oral irrigator 100 will now be discussed inmore detail. FIG. 5A is a cross-section view of the oral irrigator 100taken along line 5A-5A in FIG. 1B. FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of FIG.5A. With reference to FIGS. 1B, 1C, 3, 5A, and 5B, the reservoir 104 maybe removable from the body 102 or may be formed integrally therewith. Inembodiments where the reservoir 104 is removable, the user may refillthe reservoir 104 while it is connected to the body 102 through a fillport 122 or may remove the reservoir 104 to refill it through the portor an aperture defined on a top end of the reservoir 104. The reservoir104 may have a generally L-shape body that defines a fluid cavity 154.The horizontal extension of the reservoir 104 may include a steppedplatform 158 extending from the top surface which helps to increase thecapacity of the reservoir. In one embodiment, see, e.g., FIG. 25 , thereservoir 104 may further include a latch 477 that assists a user inremoving the reservoir 104 from the oral irrigator 100.

The refill port 122 is defined as an aperture through an outer sidewallof the reservoir 104. A port recess 132 may surround the refill port 122and define a generally oval shape recessed compartment in the outersurface of the reservoir 104. A lid 124 is movably connected to thereservoir 104 by a hinge 126. The lid 124 extends over the refill port122 and includes a flange 164 that is received into the port recess 132.An O-ring 156 (see FIG. 5A) sits around the flange 164 to seal againstthe walls of the refill port 122.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 5A, the reservoir 104 may include an outersidewall 166 with two alignment grooves 168 a, 168 b (see FIG. 3 )defined longitudinally along its height. The top surface of thereservoir 104 defines a main port 160 that is fluidly connected to thereservoir cavity 154. A reservoir lip 170 extends upwards from the topsurface of the reservoir 104 and surrounds the main port 160. The mainport 160 defines a larger diameter aperture to allow the reservoir 104,when removed, to be filed more quickly than through the refill port 122.Additionally, the main port 160 fluidly connects the rear shell 140 tothe reservoir 104.

The oral irrigator 100 may further include a reservoir hose 206 thatextends into the reservoir 104 from a tube protrusion feature 165extending from a surface of the rear shell and a tube 202 that fluidlyconnects a pump body 200 to a reservoir hose 206 (see FIG. 6 ). Withbrief reference to FIG. 25 , in some embodiments, a filter 479 may beconnected to a bottom end of the reservoir hose 206. The filter 479 mayfilter the fluid from the reservoir 104 prior to the fluid beingprovided to the tip 106.

With reference to FIG. 1B, the reservoir 104 may also include one ormore finger grips 116 defined on the outer surface. The finger grips 116may be recessed from the outer surface and optionally may include one ormore raised elements, such as ridges, that assist a user in griping thereservoir 104. The finger grips 116 assist a user in removing thereservoir 104 from the body 102 and in griping the reservoir 104 whenrefilling it. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the fingergrips 116 may be omitted from the oral irrigator 100 or may bepositioned at other locations on the outer surface of the irrigator.

The internal components of the oral irrigator 100 will now be discussedin more detail. FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the oral irrigatorof FIG. 1A with the front shell 138 and the back shell 140 removed forclarity. FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the oral irrigator of FIG. 6. With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the oral irrigator 100 may includean upper housing 184 and a lower housing 182. The two housings 182, 184define interior compartments for receiving various elements of the oralirrigator 100, as well as provide a chassis structure for anchoringcomponents to the outer walls thereof. Each of the housings 182, 184 mayinclude a raised flange 208, 210 extending from a sidewall configured toreceive a sealing member, such as gaskets 212, 214 or O-rings. The twohousings 182, 184 are configured to be connected together and receivedwithin the body 102 and act as a chassis for the irrigator, supportingthe various components within the body.

With reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 12 , the lower housing 182 maydefine a dry compartment 276 that receives components of the pumpassembly 176 and the drive assembly 178. The lower housing 182 may befluidly sealed from the wet components of the pump assembly 176,discussed in more detail below. The wet and dry compartments may bealigned so as to be generally parallel with one another, which reducesthe form factor and diameter of the oral irrigator. The lower housing182 includes a sealing end 278 defined on a terminal end of the lowerhousing 182. The sealing end 278 includes an annular groove 280 definedin a top surface thereof. The annular groove 280 defines an outer wall282 and an inner wall 284 on the sealing end 278 of the lower housing182. The sealing end 278 further defines a rod aperture 286 extendingthrough the top surface thereof and in communication with the drycompartment 276 of the lower housing 182.

With continued reference to FIG. 5B, the oral irrigator 100 may alsoinclude a drive mount 304. The drive mount 304 is configured to supportthe motor 172 and other components of the drive assembly 178 asdiscussed in more detail below. The drive mount 304 may be a somewhatrigid member received within the lower housing 182 and secured thereto.In other embodiments, the drive mount 304 may be omitted and the lowerhousing 182 may include integral features that may be used to secure themotor 172 to the lower housing 182.

With reference again to FIG. 6 , the oral irrigator 100 may include afirst circuit board 204 having a power switch 186, a mode switch 188, aplurality of indicator lights 190 a, 190 b, 190 c, 190 d and may includea processing element, such as a microprocessor. The power switch 186 andthe mode switch 188 are selected by the user to selectively activate theirrigator 100 and to change the mode of the irrigator 100, respectively.The indicator lights 190 a, 190 b, 190 c, 190 d, illuminate and/or varyan emitted light color to indicate a change in status of the irrigator100. The indicator lights 190 a, 190 b, 190 c, 190 d may be lightemitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes, or substantially anyother type of light emitting component.

The oral irrigator 100 may include a second circuit board 196 inelectrical communication with the first circuit board 204 via aplurality of connection wires 192. The second circuit board 196 mayinclude a secondary coil assembly 194 and other components, such as oneor more electrical components (e.g., capacitors, resistors,microprocessor, or the like), for charging the oral irrigator 100,discussed in more detail below.

Drive and Pump Assemblies

The drive assembly 178 will now be discussed in more detail. FIG. 8A isa cross-section view of the oral irrigator taken along line 8A-8A inFIG. 1B. FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of the oral irrigator of FIG. 8A.FIG. 9 is a cross-section of the oral irrigator taken along line 9-9 inFIG. 1C. FIG. 10A is an isometric view of the drive assembly with selectelements removed for clarity. FIG. 10B is a cross-section view of thedrive assembly taken along line 10B-10B in FIG. 10A. With reference toFIGS. 8A-10B, the drive assembly 178 is configured to pump fluid fromthe reservoir 104 to the tip 106. The drive assembly 178 may include apump assembly 176, a motor 172, and a linkage 174 interconnected betweenthe pump assembly 176 and the motor 172.

The motor 172 includes a drive shaft 216 connected thereto which isrotatably driven by the motor 172. The motor 172 may be any type ofsuitable motor depending on the desired output of the oral irrigator.The linkage 174 or transmission includes a drive or pinion gear 218, adriven gear 220, and a gear pin 224. As will be discussed in more detailbelow, the linkage 174 transforms the rotational movement of the driveshaft 216 to longitudinal movement of a piston of the pump assembly 176.

The pinion gear 218 includes a plurality of gear teeth 230 on an outersurface or engagement surface thereof. The gear teeth 230 are spiralshape and extend along a curve from a top edge 234 of the outer surfaceto a bottom edge 236 of the outer surface. In other words, rather thanextending in a substantially straight line, the gear teeth 230 wraparound a portion of the outer perimeter of the pinion gear 218.Additionally, the pinon gear 218 may include a frustum or conical shapehaving a larger bottom end diameter than a top end diameter, i.e., thepinon gear may have a tapered shape that narrows towards the top end ofthe component. The shape of the pinion gear may allow the gear teeth tomesh as desired with the driven gear.

The driven gear 220 may be oriented at substantially a 90 degree anglewith respect to the pinion gear 218. The driven gear 220 includes aplurality of gear teeth 232 extending outwards from an engagementsurface of the driven gear 220. In some embodiments, the gear teeth 232may also extend outwards relative to the center of the driven gear 220such that the outer perimeter of the gear 220 expands from the beginningof the teeth to an end point of the teeth. The gear teeth 232 areconfigured to mesh with the gear teeth 230 of the pinion gear 218.Similar to the pinion gear 218, the gear teeth 232 of the driven gear220 may be helically shape and may extend at a curve from the interiorof the driven gear 220 towards an outer edge of the driven gear 220. Inthis manner, the gear teeth 232 start and end at an angle with respectto each other.

In other examples, the gears 218, 220 may be hypoid gears having curvedteeth, but with shaft axes that are offset from one another. Also, itshould be noted that in some embodiments, different types of gears maybe used together. For example, the pinion gear 218 may be a helical gearwhereas the driven gear 220 may be a face gear.

The driven gear 220 may also include an eccentric shaft 226 including acam surface 222 and a gear pin aperture 228 defined through a center ofthe driven gear 220. The eccentric shaft 226 is offset from a center(and gear pin aperture) of the driven gear 220, the offset depends onthe desired fluid pressure delivery, the pump characteristics, and/orthe rotational speed of the motor 172. For example, as shown in FIG.10B, the eccentric shaft 226 may be positioned closer to one edge of thedriven gear 220 to define the eccentricity. The eccentric shaft 226 mayinclude a crescent shaped opening 238 therethrough. The crescent shapedopening 238 assists in controlling the rotational inertia of the drivengear 220 as it rotates by reducing the total inertia of the gear, aswell as simplifies the manufacture of the gear 220 and reduces materialcosts. The pin aperture 228 receives the gear pin 224 and is used tosecure the driven gear 220 in position and forms an axle about which thegear rotates. The eccentric shaft 226 may be formed integrally with thedriven gear 220 or may be a separate component connected thereto.Typically, the eccentric shaft 226 will have a larger width than thewidth of the driven gear 220.

With reference to FIGS. 8B, 10A, and 10B, the pump assembly 176 will nowbe discussed. The pump assembly 176 may include a pump body 200, aconnecting rod 240, a piston 248, an inlet valve body 250 having aninlet reed valve 252, and an outlet valve body 424 having an outlet reedvalve 254. The pump assembly 176 is driven by the drive assembly 178 topump fluid from the reservoir 104 to the tip 106.

The connecting rod 240 or piston rod is driven by the driven gear 220and connects to the piston 248. The connecting rod 240 may include aball 242 on a first end and a gear aperture 262 on a second end. Thegear aperture 262 is defined by a cylindrical wall extending from thesecond end of the connecting rod 240 and is configured to be placedaround the eccentric shaft 226 of the gear. The gear aperture 262includes a radius that substantially matches a radius of the eccentricshaft 226 of the driven gear 220 so as to form a tight connection withthe eccentric shaft 226, such that the connecting rod will move with theeccentric shaft rather than rotate about the connecting shaft. Theconnecting rod 240 may include a first securing rib 244 and a secondsecuring rib 246 spaced apart from and below the first securing rib 244along the shaft of the connecting rod 240. The two ribs 244, 246 extendaround an outer perimeter of the connecting rod 240 shaft and areannular shaped following the outer surface of the connecting rod. Thetwo ribs 244, 246 may be positioned in the middle or upper portion ofthe connector rod 240. In other embodiments, the connecting rod 240 mayinclude other types of securing features, other than ribs, such as, butnot limited to, protrusions, nubs, apertures, fasteners, adhesive, orthe like.

The pump body 200 defines a volume as pump chamber 260 for receivingfluid from the reservoir and is configured to receive the piston 248 anda portion of the connecting rod 240. The pump body 200 includes a pumpinlet 256 and a pump outlet 258 arranged substantially perpendicularlyto the pump inlet 256. The pump body 200 includes a piston section 239having a substantially cylindrical shape that terminates in a receivingsection 241 having a frustum shape terminating in a connecting flange243. The connecting flange 243 forms the bottom end of the pump body 200and includes a plurality of fastening brackets 245 configured to receivefasteners that secure the pump body 200 to the lower housing. Theconnecting flange 243 also acts to better seal the pump chamber andfluid passageways within the pump.

The top end of the pump body 200 includes a pump head 247 defining thepump inlet 256 and pump outlet 258, optionally, the pump head 247includes a connecting portion that receives one or more fasteners tosecure the top end of the pump body 200 to the outlet valve body 424. Avalve receiving section 251 is defined on a top end of the pump head 247and defines a valve chamber for receiving an outlet valve. The valvereceiving section 251 may include a cylindrical wall extending upwardsfrom a bottom wall that defines the outlet 258. Below and orientedperpendicular to the pump outlet, an inlet valve receiving section 249is formed on the side of the pump head 247. The inlet valve receivingsection 249 is configured to receive and connect to the inlet valve 250.For example, the inlet valve receiving section 249 may include a wallstructure that mates with or receives the inlet valve 250 to fluidlyconnect the valve to the inlet of the pump. The pump body 200 isconfigured to have a pump chamber and other components that aresubstantially aligned with one another to allow the oral irrigator tohave a smaller diameter and thus easier to be held by users havingsmaller hands (e.g., children).

A pump fluid passage 264 is defined within the pump body 200 and fluidlyconnects the pump inlet 256 to a pump chamber 260 and fluidly connectsthe pump chamber 260 to the pump outlet 258. In one embodiment, thefluid passageway 264 extends longitudinally along a length of the pumpbody 200 and the pump chamber 260 is located at a first end of the fluidpassageway 264 and the pump outlet 258 is located at a second end of thefluid passageway 264 with the pump inlet 256 being positioned betweenthe pump chamber 260 and the pump outlet 258. In this embodiment, thepump inlet 256 may define an intersection in the fluid passageway 264creating a T-shape lumen through the pump body 200. In this example, thepump inlet 256 is substantially perpendicularly oriented relative to thepump outlet and pump chamber 260. Additionally, in some embodiments, thepump inlet 256 may be positioned lower on the pump body 200 as comparedto the pump outlet which is formed at the top end of the pump body 200,such that as fluid is pumped out of the pump body 200, the fluid passesthe fluid inlet into the pump body 200.

The inlet reed valve 252 is positioned in or on the inlet valve body 250at the pump inlet 256. The inlet reed valve 252 is selectively openedand closed to regulate the flow of fluid to and from the pump body 200.The inlet reed valve 252 includes a flap that opens inwards toward thefluid passageway 264 of the pump body 200. The outlet reed valve 254 ispositioned on top of the pump outlet 258 and selectively controls flowinto and out of the pump body 200. The outlet reed valve 254 may besubstantially similar to the inlet reed valve 252 and may include a flapthat opens outwards away from a top end of the pump body 200. Operationof the reed valves will be discussed in more detail below during adiscussion of the operation of the oral irrigator 100. Other types ofinlet and outlet one-way valves may be used as well.

With reference to FIGS. 8B and 10B, the piston 248 has a generallycylindrically shaped body with a rod cavity 266 defined on a bottom end268 and configured to receive a portion of the connecting rod 240. Thepiston 248 also includes a sealed top end 270 forming a pedestal with anannular groove 272 defined on the top surface. The groove 272 defines aflexible top wall 271 for the piston that expands outwards to form aseal against the internal walls of the pump, while still allowing thepiston to move smoothly within the pump, as discussed in more detailbelow. The piston 248 is configured to selectively pull and push fluidwithin the pump body 200 as it is moved by the connecting rod 240. Insome embodiments, the piston may have a diameter that varies in shapealong its length, the shape is selected based on the shape of the pumpbody and allows the piston to seal against the walls of the pump, whilestill move within the pump.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8B, the inlet valve body 250 may besubstantially cylindrically shaped having an integrated tube or a tubeconnector extending downward perpendicularly from the top surface. Theinlet valve body 250 defines a fluid passageway that is in selectivecommunication with the pump fluid passageway 264. The inlet valve body250 may also include fastening apertures to receive fasteners to securethe inlet valve body 250 to the pump body 200.

The outlet valve body 424 may be a somewhat tube shaped member having aplurality of grooves and flanges defined an outer surface thereof, asshown in FIG. 8B. The outlet valve body 424 may define a main outletpathway 426 that is fluidly connected to an inlet chamber 432 fluidlyconnected to the pump outlet 258. The inlet chamber 432 may have alarger diameter than the outlet pathway 426. The outlet pathway 426varies in diameter along its length and at top end expands outward toform the tip cavity 428 that is configured to receive a portion of thetip 106. The annular grooves on the outer surface of the outlet valvebody 424 may be configured to receive one or more sealing members 436,440, 442, such as O-rings, seal-cups, or the like. Additionally, abottom end of the outlet valve body 424 may include a flange 430 that isused to secure to the outlet valve body 424 to the pump body 200 as willbe discussed below.

The oral irrigator 100 may also include one or more sealing members thatseal the pump from the electrical components of the power assembly. FIG.11A is a top isometric view of a diaphragm seal for the oral irrigator.FIG. 11B is a cross-section view of the diaphragm seal taken along line11B-11B in FIG. 11A. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 9. With reference to FIG. 11A-12 , the oral irrigator 100 may include adiaphragm seal 274 that seals the pump assembly 176 from the lowerhousing 182. The diaphragm seal 274 may be formed of a flexible andwaterproof material. For example, in some embodiments the diaphragm seal274 may be elastomeric, rubber (one example being nitrile butadienerubber), or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). In embodiments where thediaphragm seal 274 is a TPE material, the seal may be overmolded to oneor more components of the pump assembly 176, such as to the connectingrod and/or lower housing, as discussed in more detail below.

The diaphragm seal 274 includes a seal top surface 302 with a rodaperture 292 defined through a center thereof. The seal top surface 302extends radially outwards from the rod aperture 292 and then downwardsat an angle to define a flexible skirt 296. The skirt 296 may be conicalor frustum shaped and may define a hollow space in the seal 274. Theskirt 296 is flexible and is configured to deform and resiliently returnto its original shape. At a bottom end of the skirt 296, a crease 298 orbend is defined as the diaphragm seal 278 extends back upwards andoutwards. As will be discussed in more detail below, the depth of thecrease 298 varies as the seal is deformed during operation of the pump.A beaded flange 288 extends radially outwards from a top end of thecrease 298. The beaded flange 288 has a substantially flat top surface294 while the bottom surface 300 is convexly curved forming an annularbead on the bottom surface. The top surface 294 may be substantiallyflat and configured to be received between the pump body and the lowerhousing 182.

With continued reference to FIG. 11A-12 , the diaphragm seal 274 furtherincludes an engagement wall 290 surrounding and defining the rodaperture 292. The engagement wall 290 forms a sidewall conforming to theshape of the rod aperture 292 and extends partially above the seal topsurface 302 and extends partially into the hollow space defined by theflexible skirt 296. In this manner, the engagement wall 290 defines acylindrically shaped flange that is seated within the rod aperture 292.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A-12 , the engagement wall 290 of thediaphragm seal 274 is a cylindrically shaped flange. However, in otherembodiments, the engagement wall 290 may take other forms, in order tocreate a better seal and/or match the configuration of the connectingrod. FIG. 11C illustrates a cross-section view of another example of thediaphragm seal 274. With reference to FIG. 11C, the diaphragm seal 275may be substantially the same as the diaphragm seal 274 of FIGS. 11A and11B. However, in this example, the engagement wall 291 is a beadextending around and defining the rod aperture 292. In particular, theengagement wall 291 bead includes a rounded outer surface, similar to anO-ring, rather than the relatively straight edges of the engagement wall290.

Tip Latch Assembly

The tip latch assembly will now be discussed in more detail. FIG. 13A isa side elevation view of the tip latch assembly for the oral irrigator100. FIG. 13B is a cross-section of the tip latch assembly taken alongline 13B-13B in FIG. 13A. FIG. 14 is a top isometric view of the oralirrigator with the tip collar removed to illustrate certain features.With reference to FIG. 13A-14 , the tip latch assembly 306 releasablysecures the tip 106 to the oral irrigator 100. The tip latch assembly306 allows a user to remove a tip, insert a new tip 106, as well asrotate the tip 106. The tip latch assembly 306 may include a latch 318,a tip release 120, a latch chassis 308, a return spring 316, a detentspring 310, and the tip collar 110.

The latch chassis 308 supports various components of the tip latchassembly 306 to the oral irrigator 100. FIG. 16A is a top isometric viewof the tip latch chassis. With reference to FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 16A, thelatch chassis 308 includes a support plate 338 with a tip support column322 extending above and below the support plate 338. The tip supportcolumn 322 defines a passage in which the tip 106 may be received. A topend of the tip support column 322 includes two slots 328 defined asU-shaped cutouts positioned across from one another on the column 322.Additionally, two latch windows 336 are defined through the sidewalls ofthe column 322. The latch windows 336 are aligned with one another andmay be rectangular shaped cutouts configured to receive tangs of thelatch 318, discussed in more detail below. Two alignment ribs 326 extendlongitudinally along a portion of a length of the tip column 322 and arepositioned approximately above a center of the latch windows 336 on theouter surface of the tip column 322. An outer wall 324 extends downwardsfrom the support plate 338 and surrounds the tip support column 322. Theouter wall 324 is separated from the tip support column 322 to define anannular compartment between the outer wall 324 and the column 322.

With reference to FIG. 16A, the latch chassis 308 may also include abrace 340 extending upwards from an edge of the support plate 338. Thebrace 340 is a curved wall that follows the curvature of the supportplate 338. The brace 340 includes two leg notches 342 defined as cutoutsthrough a sidewall to the brace 340 and extending inwards towards acenter portion of the brace 340. Two posts 314 a, 314 b extend upwardsfrom a top end of the brace 340 and a fastening aperture 334 is definedbetween the two posts 314 a, 314 b. A spring recess 344 is defined as agenerally circular recess in the outer surface of the brace 340.

With reference to FIGS. 14 and 16A, the latch chassis 308 includes twolatch posts 320 a, 320 b extending upwards from the support plate 338 onan opposite edge of the plate 338 from the brace 340. The latch chassis308 may further include a plurality of fastener brackets 332 extendingoutwards from a support bracket 331 of the support plate 338. Thefastener brackets 332 may include fastening apertures and may beconfigured to connect to fastening mechanisms to secure the chassis tothe oral irrigator 100. As such, the configuration, size, and locationof the fasteners brackets 332 may be varied based on the type offastening mechanisms used.

With reference again to FIG. 14 , the detent spring 310 may be aU-shaped resilient member that includes two spring arms 346. The springarms 346 extend substantially parallel to each other and include adetent 348 formed on a terminal end thereof.

The latch 318 of the tip latch assembly 306 will now be discussed inmore detail. FIG. 15 is a cross-section view of the oral irrigator takenalong line 15-15 in FIG. 1B. FIGS. 16B and 16C are various views of thelatch 318. With reference to FIGS. 14–16C, the latch 318 includes abiasing structure 352 formed at a first end and a pair of engagementarms 350 a, 350 b extending generally parallel to each other from eitherend of the biasing structure 352. The biasing structure 352 forms aflexible and resilient element of the latch 318 and is formed integrallywith the latch 318. For example, in one embodiment, the biasingstructure 352 is a plastic component formed in a undulating or wavepattern that provides flexibility to the structure. As shown in FIGS.16B and 16C, the biasing structure 352 may be formed in a W shape withrounded corners. However, other structures providing flexibility to thestructure are envisioned and the above-mentioned examples are merelyillustrative only.

The engagement arms 350 a, 350 b of the latch 318 include a firstportion 366 and a second portion 368, with the first portion 366 beingconnected to the biasing structure 352 and the second portion extendingfrom the first portion 366. The engagement arms 350 a, 350 b may bemirror images of each other and so the discussion of any component forone of the arms 350 a, 350 b may be understood to apply to the otherarm. Each arm 350 a, 350 b may include a fastening aperture 354 a, 354 bdefined on a top surface and extending through a height or a portion ofthe height of the engagement arm 350 a, 350 b.

The ends of the engagement arms 350 a, 350 b are configured to bothengage with the tip release 120 as well as the tip 106, as discussed inmore detail below. The engagement arms 350 a, 350 b include a tang 356a, 356 b extending towards the opposite arm 350 a, 350 b from aninterior surface 358 of its respective arm 350 a, 350 b. The tang 356 a,356 b includes a locking surface 370 that is somewhat parallel to theextension of the engagement arms 350 a, 350 b. Additionally, a topsurface 364 of each tang 356 a, 356 b slopes downwards as it extendsoutwards from the top surface of the engagement arm 350 a, 350 b totransition into the locking surface 370. The ends of the engagement arms350 a, 350 b include an actuation surface 360 that begins at theterminal end of each engagement arm 350 a, 350 b and extends at an anglein towards the opposite engagement arm and towards the biasing structure352. For example, the actuation surface 360 may extend at an angle ofabout 45 degrees from the end of the engagement arm 350 a 350 b. A lip362 is formed at the end of the engagement arms 350 a, 350 b; the lip362 defines a relatively flat surface that is perpendicular to the topsurface of the engagement arms 350 a, 350 b.

With reference to FIG. 17 , the tip release 120 of the tip latchassembly 306 will now be discussed in more detail. The tip release 120includes an input surface 378 or button that is configured to extendoutside of the oral irrigator 100 body. In some embodiments, the inputsurface 378 may be curved to substantially match the curvature of thetip ring 388 or other exterior surface of the oral irrigator 100. Thetip release 120 also includes two actuation prongs 372 a, 372 b thatextend outward from a rear side of the tip release 120. The actuationprongs 372 a, 372 b are substantially parallel to one another and may bemirror images of each other. In some embodiments, each of the actuationprongs 372 a, 372 b include a stop 374 projecting outwards from aninterior surface of the actuation prong 372 a, 372 b towards theopposite prong 372 a, 372 b. The stops 374 may be located along a lengthof each respective actuation prong 372 a, 372 b and the location of eachstop 374 may be selected based on a desired extension of the inputsurface 378 from the tip ring 388. In other words, the stops 374 maydetermine the amount that the input surface 378 extends outwards fromthe exterior of the oral irrigator. The stops 374 help to prevent thetip release 120 from disconnecting from the tip release assembly 306.

With continued reference to FIG. 17 , a terminal end 376 of eachactuation prong 372 a, 372 b may have a flat surface and an angledsurface 379. The angled surface 379 may correspond to the angle of theactuation surface 360 of the latch 318. For example the angled surface379 may be a beveled edge where the angle of the bevel from the terminalend 376 substantially matches as an opposing angle to the angle of theactuation surface 360 of the latch 318.

The tip release 120 may also include a spring seat 380 including a stud382 portion. The spring seat 380 is formed as a cylindrical extensionthat extends from a back wall 390 of the tip release 120. The springseat 380 seats within a recess 384 formed in the back wall 390. The studportion 382 has a smaller diameter than the spring seat 380 and extendsoutward from the spring seat 380. The diameter differential between thestud 382 and the seat 380 defines a seat configured to receive a spring316 as discussed in more detail below.

The tip collar 110 allows a user to change the orientation of the tip106. FIGS. 18A-18C are various views of the tip collar 110. Withreference to FIGS. 18A-18C, the tip collar 110 is generally frustumshaped and includes a relatively flat top end 396 transitioning into askirt 392 extending outward and downward at an angle therefrom. A bottomend 410 of the skirt 392 defines a bottom of the collar 110. A pluralityof finger grips 394 extend outward from and longitudinally along anouter surface of the skirt 392. The finger grips 394 are spatiallyseparated from one another and extend at spaced intervals around theskirt 392.

With continued reference to FIGS. 18A-18C, an inner collar 406 extendsdownward from the top end 396 of the collar 110. The inner collar 406defines a tip passageway 398 therethrough, the tip passageway 398 beingconfigured to substantially match the diameter of the support column 322of the support plate. The tip passageway 398 may vary in diameter alongits length. For example, a first shelf 404 and a second shelf 402 may beformed at two separate locations along the length of the tip passageway398. The first shelf 404 may be positioned closer to the top end 396 ofthe collar 110 than the second shelf 402. With reference to FIGS. 18Aand 18C, a keyed sidewall 400 having a plurality of facets or angledwalls are defined on the interior sidewall of the inner collar 406. Thefacets of the keyed sidewall 400 extend in length between the firstshelf 404 and the second shelf 402.

With reference to FIG. 18B, the tip collar 110 further includes aplurality of fluted feedback teeth 408 along an outer surface of theinner collar 406. The feedback teeth 408 are cylindrical bumps extendinglongitudinally along a length of the inner collar 406. In oneembodiment, the feedback teeth 408 extend only along a portion of theinner collar 406. However, the length and other dimensions of thefeedback teeth 408 may be varied as desired.

Assembly of the Oral Irrigator

Assembly of the oral irrigator 100 will now be disused in more detail.It should be noted that the below discussion is meant as illustrativeonly and that although certain components are discussed as beingassembled in a particular order, the components of the oral irrigator100 may be assembled in any manner as desired. With reference to FIGS.5B and 5A, in one embodiment, the drive assembly 178 may be coupledtogether first. In this example, the motor 172 may be secured to thedrive mount 304 with two fasteners 205 a, 205 b. The motor 172 may bepositioned so that the drive shaft 216 extends through a bottom wall ofthe drive mount 304. The pinion gear 218 may then be received around thedrive shaft 216 and secured thereto.

With reference to FIGS. 5B and 10A, the connecting rod 240 is placedaround the cam 226 of the driven gear 220. The driven gear 220 isarranged so as to be substantially perpendicular to the pinion gear 218where the teeth of both gears 218, 220 mesh together. The driven gear220 is also mounted between the two sidewalls of the drive mount 304.The gear pin 224 is then connected to a first sidewall of the drivemount 304, through the gear aperture 262 in the driven gear 220 and outthrough a second sidewall of the drive mount 304 to secure the drivengear 220 and connecting rod 240 in position.

The drive assembly 178 may be received in the lower housing 182. Withreference to FIGS. 5B and 12 , the drive assembly 178 is connected tothe lower housing 182 such that the lower portion of the connecting rod240, the driven gear 220, and the pinion gear 218 are positioned withinthe dry cavity 276. Once the drive assembly 178 is positioned within thelower housing, with reference to FIGS. 11B and 12 , the diaphragm seal274 may then be connected to the connecting rod 240. In particular, theconnecting rod 240 may be slid through the rod aperture 292 and theengagement wall 290 of the seal 274 may be positioned between the upperrib 244 and the lower rib 246 on the outer surface of the connecting rod240. As shown in FIG. 12 , the engagement wall 290 of the seal 274 maybe dimensioned so as to be exactly the same thickness as the spacebetween the ribs 244, 246, so as to prevent the seal 274 from slidingalong the outer surface of the connecting rod 240 when the connectingrod 240 moves. In instances where the diaphragm seal 275 of FIG. 11C isused, rather than the diaphragm seal 274 of FIGS. 11A and 11B, therounded or bead engagement wall 291 may be positioned between the upperrib 244 and the lower rib 246, with the rounded outer surface of thebead engaging the outer surface of the connecting rod 240. Additionally,similar to the engagement wall 290, the engagement wall 291 may bedimensioned so as to fit within the space between the ribs 244, 246.

With reference to FIG. 10B, the ball 242 of the connecting rod 240 maythen be connected to the piston 248. Specifically, the ball 242 may bereceived into the rod cavity 266 defined on the bottom end 268 of thepiston 248, the rod cavity 266 may snap fit or otherwise frictionallyfit around the ball 242. The connecting rod 240 extends through the rodaperture 286 defined in the top end of the lower housing 182 and thediaphragm seal 274 seats on the sealing end 278 of the lower housing182. In particular, with reference to FIG. 12 , the beaded flange 288 ofthe seal 274 is positioned in the annular grove 280 between the innerwall 284 and the outer wall 282 of the lower housing 182. In thisembodiment, the seal 274 extends from the annular groove 280 upward andover the inner wall 284 and then downward so that the crease 298 extendsalong a portion of the interior surface of the inner wall 284.

Once the drive assembly 178 is connected to the lower housing 182, thebatteries 412 a, 412 b may be connected to the lower housing 182. Inparticular, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 8A, the batteries 412 a, 412 bmay be received into respective battery cavities in the lower housing182. A battery cable 416 may extend between terminals for the twobatteries 412 a, 412 b to electrically couple them together. A seal 414may be positioned around the battery cap 198, which may then be insertedinto a bottom end of the lower housing 182 and connected thereto with aplurality of fasteners 418. In another embodiment, as shown, for examplein FIG. 25 , the battery cap 198 may be ultrasonically welded to thelower housing 182. In this embodiment, the seal 414 and the fasteners418 may be omitted as the cap may be connected to the lower housing 182in a substantially leak proof and secured manner.

With reference to FIG. 6 , after the battery cap 198 is connected, thepower circuit board 196 may be connected to the lower housing 182. Inparticular, the circuit board 196 may be positioned within a recessdefined by the flange 208 on the outer surface of the lower housing 182.The circuit board 196 may be secured to the lower housing 182 by one ormore fasteners. Additionally, the circuit board 196 may be electricallyconnected to the motor 172 and batteries 412 a, 412 b by one or morewires connected to the various components within the lower housing 182and extending through an aperture in the sidewall of the lower housing182 to connect to the circuit board 196.

The circuit board 196 may be assembled prior to connecting it to thelower hosing 182 and the secondary coil 194 assembly may be positionedon the circuit board 196 and mounted to the lower housing 182 with thecircuit board 196.

With reference to FIG. 8B, the drive assembly 178 may then be connectedto the pump body 200. In particular, the piston 248 may be received intothe pump chamber 260 and the bottom end 422 of the pump body 200 mayseal against the flange top surface 294 of the diaphragm seal 274. Oneor more fasteners may then be used to secure the bottom end 422 of thepump body 200 to the seal end 278 of the lower housing 182.

With continued reference to FIG. 8B, the reed valves 252, 254 may bepositioned over the pump inlet 256 and pump outlet 258, respectively.The inlet valve body 250 may then be connected to the valve receivingsection 249 of the pump body 200 and may optionally include a seal 438,such as an O-ring, around an outer surface to seal against the outersurface of the inlet valve body 250 and interior surface of the valvereceiving section 249 of the pump body 200. Additionally, the outletvalve body 424 may be connected to a top end of the pump body 200 bybeing received in the valve receiving section 251. For example, theoutlet valve body 424 may be inserted into the valve receiving section251 with the inlet chamber 432 being aligned with the outlet reed valve254. As with the inlet valve 250, a seal 436 (such as an O-ring or cupseal) may be positioned on an outer surface of the portion of the outletvalve 424 that is received into valve receiving section 251 of the pumpbody 200 to seal the connection between the two components. Fasteners434 may then be used to secure the outlet valve body 424 to the top endof the pump body 200.

Once the outlet valve body 424 is connected to the pump body 200, theupper housing 184 may be connected to the assembly. With reference toFIGS. 5B - 8B, the pump body 200 and outlet valve body 424 may bereceived into bottom end of the upper housing 184. A seal 440 may sealagainst the outer surface of the outlet valve body 424 and the upperhousing 184. In some embodiments, the outer flange 210 of the upperhousing 184 may extend downwards and outwards over a portion of thelower housing 182 and be aligned with the flange 208 of the lowerhousing 182 (see, FIG. 7 ).

With reference to FIG. 6 , the control assembly 180 may be connected tothe upper housing 184. In particular, the control assembly 180 may bepositioned within the recessed area defined by the flange 210 of theupper housing 184 and connected to the upper housing 184 with aplurality of fasteners.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8B, when the upper housing 184 isconnected to the pump assembly 176, the hose 202 is connected to thebottom tube portion of the inlet valve body 250. The hose 202 may besecured in place with friction fit, one or more hose clamps, adhesive,and/or other types of fasteners.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the alignment and securing magnets 450a, 450 b and the activation magnet 420 for the charger may be connectedto the front shell 138. For example, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 ,the activation magnet 420 may be received within the magnet recess 446and the two lateral magnets 450 may be positioned in the magnet pockets448 a, 448 b defined on either side of the sealing feature 144. Itshould be noted that in embodiments where a non-magnetic charger or apower cord are used the magnets and magnet pockets can be omitted.

After magnets 420, 450 are connected to the front shell 138, withreference to FIGS. 4 and 6 , the front and rear shells 138, 140 may beconnected together around the pump and drive assemblies 176, 178. Thefront shell 138 may be connected to and around a portion of the upperand lower housings 182, 184. In particular, the first sealing wall 142may be placed around the gasket 214 positioned around the flange 210 onthe upper housing 184. The sealing feature 142 compresses the gasket 214and defines a seal around the interior section of the flange 210 to forma first waterproof compartment. The power button 112 of the front shell138 aligns with the power switch 186 on the control assembly 180 and themode button 114 aligns with the mode switch 188. The window 146 sectionof the front shell 138 is aligned with the bottom portion of the controlassembly 180 so that the LED windows 148 a, 148 b, 148 c, 148 d alignwith the LEDs 190 a, 190 b, 190 c, 190 d.

The second sealing feature 144 of the front shell 138 may be positionedaround the outer edge of the second flange 208, compressing the gasket212 between the feature 144 and the flange 208 to form a secondwaterproof compartment. A plurality of fasteners, such as press fit pinsor screws, may be connected to the lower and upper housings 182, 184 andinto the connecting posts 152 a-152 k to secure the front shell 138 tothe upper housing 184 and the lower housing 182. It should be noted thatdepending on the type of fasteners used, the connecting posts may beomitted.

In some embodiments, the connection wires 192 may then be connected tothe control assembly 180 and the power circuit board 196 after the frontshell 138 has been connected to the upper and lower housings. In theseembodiments, the window panel 146 may not be connected to the frontshell 138 until the connection wires 192 are connected. Once theconnection wires 192 are connected, the window panel 146 isultrasonically welded to the front shell 138. The welding connectionhelps to prevent fluid from entering into the front shell 138 throughthe window 146 by creating a leak-proof seal, but because the panel 146may be added after the connection wires 192 have been connected, thewires may be accessible during manufacturing and assembly of oralirrigator 100.

To connect the rear shell 140 to the oral irrigator 100, the hose 202 isconnected to the tube projection feature 165 on the rear shell 140 andthe reservoir 206 hose is connected to the opposite side of the feature165, fluidly connecting the reservoir hose 206 to the hose 202 (see FIG.5B). As shown in FIG. 5B, the rear shell 140 may include a dividing wall452 that extends outwards from an interior surface of the rear shell 140and then extends downwards parallel to the lower housing 182. In thismanner, the dividing wall 452 acts to fluidly separate the reservoir 154from the housings 182, 184. The rear shell 140 may then be secured tothe front shell 138 and the lower and upper housings 182, 184.

Once the two shells 138, 140 are connected, the reservoir hose 206 isconnected to the hose 202 and the reservoir 104 may be secured to theoral irrigator 100. With reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 9 , thereservoir 104 may be connected to the bottom end of the rear shell 140.The upper rim 170 of the reservoir 104 is connected to a ledge in therear shell 140 and the battery platform 158 of the reservoir 104 ispositioned beneath the battery cap 198 (see FIG. 5A). The batteryplatform 158 is raised to provide an increased capacity for thereservoir. The battery cap 198 and the diaphragm seal 274, along withthe interior surface of the lower housing 182 act to define a thirdwaterproof compartment for the oral irrigator.

The tip latch assembly 306 may then be connected to the top end of theoutlet valve body 424. In one embodiment, the top end of the outletvalve body 424 may be positioned between the outer wall 324 and the tipsupport column 322 of the latch chassis 308. A seal 442 may bepositioned around the outlet valve body 424 to seal against the interiorsurface of the outer wall 324 of the latch chassis 308.

Once the latch chassis 308 is connected, the remaining components of thetip latch assembly 306 may be connected and secured to the oralirrigator 100. With reference to FIGS. 14 and 16 , a first end of thereturn spring 316 is positioned within the spring recess 344 and asecond end of the return spring 316 is placed onto a portion of the stud382 on the tip release 120. The tip release 120 is then connected to thelatch chassis 308 as the actuation prongs 372 a, 372 b are inserted intothe leg notches 342 on the latch chassis 308. The actuation prongs 372a, 372 b are positioned so that the stops 374 on each prong 372 a, 372 bare positioned on an interior side of the brace 340 (see FIG. 14 ), aswill be discussed in more detail below, this positioning of the stops374 helps to prevent inadvertent removal of the tip release 120.

After the tip release 120 is connected to the latch chassis 308, thelatch 318 may be connected to the chassis 308. With reference to FIGS.14, 16A-16C, the fastening apertures 354 a, 354 b of the latch 318 arereceived around the posts 320 a, 320 b of the latch chassis 308. Theengagement arms 350 a, 350 b of the latch 318 are oriented so as toextend across the latch chassis 308 and interface with the actuationprongs 372 a, 372 b of the tip release 120 for purposes of selectivelyreleasing the tip 106 as will be discussed in more detail below.Further, the engagement arms 350 a, 350 b of the latch 318 seat beneaththe ribs 326 positioned on either side of the tip support column 322 onthe latch chassis 308. The tangs 356 a, 356 b of each engagement arm 350a, 350 b are partially received into the latch windows 336 also definedon opposing sides of the tip support column 322 (see FIG. 13B).

The tip ring 388 may be connected to the tip latch assembly 306. Forexample, with reference to FIG. 14 , the tip release 120 may bepositioned through an aperture defined through a sidewall of the tipring 388 and a plurality of fasteners may be inserted through fasteningapertures defined on both the tip ring 388 and on the fastener brackets332 of the latch chassis 308. The fasteners secure the tip ring 388 tothe latch chassis 308 and to the two shells 138, 140.

With continued reference to FIG. 14 , the detent spring 310 may beconnected to the latch chassis 308. In one embodiment, the detent spring310 may be a flexible, integral component that includes two postapertures that are received around the posts 314 a, 314 b of the latchchassis 308. A fastener 312 may then be received through a fasteningaperture defined in the top surface of the detent spring 310 and thefastening aperture 334 defined on the top surface of the brace 340 ofthe latch chassis 308. The detent spring 310 may be oriented so that thearms 346 extend inwards towards and extend on either side of the tipsupport column 322 of the latch chassis 308. In one embodiment, theterminal end of the arms 346 may be configured to align in part with theribs 326 on the tip support column 322.

Once the tip latch assembly 306 is connected to the oral irrigator 100,the tip collar 110 is connected to the tip latch assembly 306. Withreference to FIG. 13B, the inner collar 406 of the tip collar 110 isreceived around the outer surface of the tip support column 322 of thelatch chassis 308. Additionally, the arms 346 of the detent spring 310are positioned around the outer surface of the inner collar 406 of thetip collar 110 and each detent 348 prong on the arms 346 engages achannel between a respective pair of teeth 408 on the outer surface ofthe inner collar 406. The rim 330 of the tip support column 322 seats ontop of the second shelf 402 on the interior of the tip passageway 398 ofthe tip collar 110. The slots 328 defined in the tip support column 322provide flexibility to the tip support column 322 to allow it to flexradially inward as the inner collar 406 is placed around the tip supportcolumn 322 to allow the two components to be more easily connected.

Once the tip collar 110 is connected, the tip 106 may be inserted intothe oral irrigator 100. With continued reference to FIG. 13B, the tip106 is slid into the tip passageway 398 in the tip collar 110 andextends into the tip support column 322. The bottom of the tip 106causes the latch 318 to open to allow the tip 106 to pass by the latchwindows 336 and the engagement tangs 356 a, 356 b extend into the tipcolumn 322 to grip the tip 106, securing it in position. The identifierring 128 around the outer surface of the tip 106 is configured to seaton the first shelf 404 of the tip collar 110 once the tip 106 is in theproper position. With reference to FIG. 5B, the bottom end of the tip106 is received in part into the outlet valve body 424 and is fluidlyconnected to the pump body 200.

Operation of the Oral Irrigator

Operation of the oral irrigator 100 will now be discussed in moredetail. With reference to FIGS. 1A and 6 , when the power button 112 isselected by a user, the button 112 compresses, compressing the powerswitch 186 on the control assembly 180. The power switch 186 causes thecontrol assembly 180 to transmit a signal to activate the motor 172. Thespeed of the motor 172 may be varied by a user selecting the mode button114, which activates the mode switch 188. The mode switch 188 varies theaverage value of the voltage transmitted to the motor to vary the speedof the motor 172. In one embodiment, the motor may be powered by a pulsewidth modulation signal that is used to vary the motor speed and themode switch 188 may be used to change the output of the motor byselectively changing the signal applied thereto.

With reference to FIGS. 5B and 10B, as the motor 172 is powered themotor drive shaft 216 rotates, causing the pinion gear 218 to rotate.The gear teeth 230 of the pinion gear 218 mesh with the gear teeth 232on the driven gear 220. The helical shape of the gears 230, 232 causesthe teeth to engage along their entire length, increasing the torquetransmitted between the pinion gear 218 and the driven gear 220. Therotation of the pinion gear 218 causes the driven gear 220 to rotateabout the gear pin 224. The connecting rod 240, connected to the cam 226of the driven gear 220 also begins to move. The cam 226 acts to convertthe rotational movement of the motor drive shaft 216 and driven gear 220into a longitudinal reciprocal displacement of the piston 240 within thepump body 200.

FIG. 23A is a partial cross-section enlarged view of the oral irrigatorduring an upstroke of the pump assembly. FIG. 23B is a partialcross-section enlarged view of the oral irrigator transitioning betweenthe upstroke and a down-stroke. FIG. 23C is a partial cross-sectionenlarged view of the oral irrigator during the down-stroke. Withreference to FIGS. 23A-23C, the piston 248 moves longitudinally withinthe pump cavity 260 to varyingly increase and decrease the volume of thepump cavity 260. As the piston 248 moves due to the movement of theconnecting rod 240, the diaphragm seal 274 moves therewith to maintainthe seal between the pump cavity 260 and the drive assembly. As can beseen by comparing FIGS. 23A-23C, the depth of the crease 298 increasesas the piston 248 moves from the upstroke position to the down-strokeposition. The bellows allows the seal 274 to deform with movement of theconnecting rod 240 without introducing friction into the system.

Due to the bellows of the seal 274 forming the crease 298, the seal 274allows the piston to reciprocate linearly without introducing frictioninto the system. In particular, the diaphragm seal 274 deforms as theconnecting rod 240 moves longitudinally and as the perimeter edgeforming the beaded flange 288 of the diaphragm seal 274 is clamped andprevented from moving, the seal 274 does not rub against any surfaces asit deforms, reducing the risk of wear and tear on the seal 274.Additionally, as there is substantially no friction between the seal 274and the connecting rod 240, parasitic energy losses are reduced ascompared to conventional oral irrigators with piston seals, as the motor172 does not have to overcome friction in addition to the energyrequired to deform the seal 274. The configuration of the diaphragm sealallows it to stay in position relative to the connecting rod and pumpbody, even at high frequencies such as those typically used with oralirrigators. Additionally, the diaphragm seal allows the omission of aradial shaft seal or lip seal that are typically placed on rotaryelements, such as the motor or driven gear. These seals are prone toleak and wear over time and create friction on the rotary element, whichrequires more energy to operate and reduces the efficiency of theirrigator.

With reference to FIG. 8B, on a down-stroke of the piston 248, a vacuumis created in the pump body 200, which causes fluid to flow from thereservoir cavity 154 into the reservoir hose 206, into the hose 202, andinto the inlet valve body 250. The fluid flows through the passagewaydefined in the inlet valve body 250 and causes the flap of the reedvalve 252 to open, allowing the fluid to flow into the pump chamber 260.With continued reference to FIG. 8B, on an upstroke of the piston 248,the connecting rod 240 forces the piston 248 upwards, thus pushing thefluid in the pump chamber 260 upwards into the pump fluid passageway 264towards the pump outlet 258. The fluid forces the reed valve 254 openand closes the inlet reed valve 252 so that the fluid flows into theinlet chamber 432 of the valve outlet body 424. The fluid then entersthe outlet passageway 426 and flows into the tip 106 connected to theoutlet valve body 424 and is expelled into a user’s oral cavity.

With reference to FIG. 13B, if a user wishes to vary the orientation andposition of the tip 106, he or she may grip and rotate the tip collar110. As the tip collar 110 rotates, the teeth 408 on the inner collar406 are rotated past the arms 346 and the detent spring 310 deformsslighting and the detents 348 on the arms 346 of the return spring 310provide haptic feedback to the user. As the tip collar 110 rotates, thetip 106 which is engaged with the keyed sidewall 400 of the tip collar110 rotates therewith. Thus, the tip collar 110 allows a user to moreeasily rotate the tip 106 to a desired location as the tip collar 110provides a larger gripping surface than rotating the tip 106 itself andalso provides feedback via the teeth 408 regarding the rotationalmovement of the tip106.

Tip Release Operation

The operation of the tip latch assembly 306 will now be discussed inmore detail. FIG. 24 is a cross-section view of the oral irrigator 100with select elements removed for clarity. With reference to FIGS. 15,16B, 17, and 24 , to release the tip 106, the user exerts a force F onthe input surface 378 of the tip release 120. The force F overcomes thebiasing force exerted by the retention spring 316 and the actuationprongs 372 a, 372 b translate laterally towards the latch 318. As thetip release 120 moves laterally, the spring 316 is compressed. Thechamfered or angled surfaces 378 on the ends of the actuation prongs 372a, 372 b interface with the actuation surface 360 of the latch 318 andthe terminal ends 372 of each prong 372 a, 372 b exert a portion of theforce F against the actuation lip 362 of each engagement arms 350 a, 350b of the latch 318. For example, each side may exert half of the forceF, and the force F is translated into a perpendicular force componentdue to the interface of the angled faces of the tip release 120, andthen into torque around pins 320 (which is resisted by biasing element352).

The force exerted by the tip release 120 causes the engagement arms 350a, 350 b of the latch 318 to pivot in the rotation direction R. Inparticular, the engagement arms 350 a, 350 b pivot around the posts 320a, 320 b. This pivoting motion causes the tangs 356 a, 356 b of each arm350 a, 350 b to pivot away from the center of the oral irrigator 100 andmove out of the latch windows 336 in the latch chassis 308. Withreference to FIG. 13B, the movement of the tangs 356 a, 356 b causes thetangs 356 a, 356 b to disengage from the groove 317 formed in the tip106. Once the tangs 356 a, 356 b are disengaged from the groove 317, thetip 106 can be easily removed by the user.

With reference again to FIGS. 15 and 24 , once the user force F isremoved from the tip release 120, the retention spring 316 exerts abiasing force in the opposite direction of the user force F and the tiprelease 120 moves laterally away from the latch 318. As the tip releasebutton 120 moves, the actuation prongs 372 a, 372 b disengage from theengagement arms 350 a, 350 b and the biasing structure 352 of the latch318 exerts a biasing force to cause the engagement arms 350 a, 350 b tomove into the latch windows 336 of the latch chassis 308. That is,biasing structure 352 of the latch 318 will return to its natural shapeafter being deformed by the user force F and will move back inward whenthe force F is removed. If a new tip 106 has been inserted into the tipsupport column 322, the tangs 356 a, 356 b will be inserted into thegroove of the tip 106 and if a tip is not inserted, the tangs 356 a, 356b will protrude into the interior passage of the tip support column 322.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, the retention spring 316may be omitted and the biasing force of the biasing structure 352 of thelatch 318 may be configured to exert a sufficient force to not onlypivot the engagement arms 350 a, 350 b back to a locked position, butalso force the actuation prongs 372 a, 372 b of the release button 120laterally away from the latch 318 to the locked orientation.

The movement of the tip release button 120 by the retention spring 316is limited by the stops 374 on the interior surfaces of the actuationprongs 372 a, 372 b. In particular, with reference to FIGS. 15 and 24 ,the stops 374 abut against the brace 340 to prevent further movementaway from the latch 318 to help prevent the button 120 from beinginadvertently removed from the tip latch assembly 306.

With the latch assembly 306, both engagement arms 350 a, 350 b of thelatch 318 may engage with the tip 106 in the locked position. Thisstructure is more reliable than conventional tip latch assemblies wherea single arm engaged with the tip 106. Further, the dual-arms allowgreater assembly tolerances and help to prevent inadvertentdisengagement of the tip 106 from the oral irrigator 100. Further, theintegrated biasing structure 352 of the latch 318 reduces the complexityand number of components for the tip latch assembly 306, which makesmanufacturing easier as the chances for error during assembly arereduced. The biasing structure 352 allows the latch 318 to be created asa single part and thus a single mold is needed to form the latch 318 ofthe present disclosure as compared to other latch assemblies includingseparate biasing elements.

The Charger and Charging The Oral Irrigator

The charger 134 for the oral irrigator 100 will now be discussed in moredetail. FIG. 19 is a rear isometric view of the charger 134. FIG. 20 isa cross-section view of the charger taken along line 20-20 in FIG. 19 .FIG. 21 is an exploded view of a primary charging coil assembly 478 forthe charger 134. With reference to FIGS. 19-21 , the charger 134 mayinclude a charger housing 454, a power cord 136, a primary coil assembly478, and interior electronic components. Each will be discussed in turnbelow.

The charger housing 454 may define a somewhat oval shaped body having acurved interior surface 460 configured to match the exterior curve ofthe front shell 138 of the oral irrigator 100, as well as beaesthetically appealing. The interior source 460 may include two coolinggrooves 462 a, 462 b that extend parallel to each other from a top endto a bottom end of the charger 134. The cooling grooves 462 a, 462 ballow airflow between the charger 134 and the oral irrigator 100 whenthe charger is connected. The shape and dimensions of the coolinggrooves 462 a, 462 b may be configured not only to enhance airflow butalso to provide an aesthetically appealing appearance for the charger134. The exterior surface 480 may be convexly curved and bow outwards ata middle section (see FIG. 20 ). In some embodiments, the exteriorsurface 480 may be removable from the charger housing 434 and mayconnect to the sidewalls of the charger 434.

With reference to FIGS. 19 and 20 , the charger 134 may also include apower cord 136 electronically coupled via a wire 474 to a circuit board472 positioned within the charger housing 454. The power cord 136extends from a sidewall of the charger housing 454 and may include astrain relief 458 section at the connection location to help prevent thecord from being damaged due to bending and flexing at the connection tothe housing 454. In some embodiments, an O-ring 473 may be receivedbetween the strain relief 458 and the charger housing 453 to helpprevent fluids from entering into the charger housing.

Adjacent the outer edges of each of the cooling grooves 462 a, 462 b thecharger 134 may include one or more magnet pockets 464 a, 464 bconfigured to receive one or more magnets 476 a, 476 b (see FIG. 20 ).

The charger 134 may also include one or more activation switches thatactivate the charger 134 when it is connected to the oral irrigator 100.In one embodiment, the activation switch 487 may be a Hall effect sensorthat interacts with magnet 420 on the oral irrigator to activate thecharger 134. This type of activation prevents the charger from beingactivated when it is not in a position to charge the oral irrigator 100,which reduces power consumption and increases the energy efficiency ofthe irrigator 100 and charger. Other types of sensors or switches mayalso be used, for example, mechanical or optical switches, that switchthe charger into a charging mode once it is secured to the body of theoral irrigator 100. However, in embodiments where waterproofing isdesired, a magnetic sensor, such as a Hall effect sensor, may bepreferred as the sensor is not affected by fluids, such as water ormouthwash and the magnets can be concealed within the housings of theoral irrigator and charger to allow for a cleaner aesthetic appearance.

With reference to FIGS. 20 and 21 , the charger 134 also includes theprimary coil assembly 478. The primary coil assembly 478 may include aprimary coil 466, a bobbin 468, and a core 470. The primary coilassembly 478 may be substantially similar to the secondary coil assembly486. For example, with reference to FIG. 22 , the secondary coilassembly 194 in the lower housing 112 of the oral irrigator 100 mayinclude a secondary coil 486, a bobbin 488, and a core 490, each beingsubstantially similar to its counterpart in the primary coil assembly478. As will be discussed in more detail below, the coil assembly 478 isconfigured to couple with circuit board 196 in the oral irrigator 100 tocharge the batteries 412 a, 412 b.

In one embodiment, the primary coil 466 and the secondary coil 486 mayinclude a plurality of twisted copper wires, such as Litz wires, andeach of the multiple wires may be insulated from each other. In theseembodiments, the coils 466, 486 may allow for fast inductive charging ofthe oral irrigator 100, while having a low amount of heat generation. Inconventional charging devices for oral care products, such as electrictoothbrushes, an inductive coil may be made from a solid enameled copperwire. However, these types of coils have a low charging rate to preventheat generation. On the contrary by using the twisted wires for thecoils 466, 486, the multiple wires reduce the heat generated by thecoils during charging due to reduced skin effect and proximity effectlosses. This allows the charger 134 to be made of plastic or otherlow-heat resistant products since the heat generated by the coils 466,486 is much lower. Further, the coil 466, 486 configurations withmultiple wires charges faster than conventional single-wire structuresas current has multiple pathways to flow.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, the primary coil 466 andthe secondary coil 486 may be made with multiple parallel wires, ratherthan twisted wires. As another example, in some embodiments, the coils466, 486 may be braided, woven, or otherwise formed. The wires formingthe coils 466, 486 may be substantially any type of multiple wirearrangement and may be round or rectangular in cross section and mayinclude a core, such as a fiber core that the wires are wound around,and/or may include insulating sleeves or the like around the group ofwires, individual wires, or the like.

The core 470 may be a ferrite core or other type of magnetic core. Inone embodiment, the core 470 may be “E” shaped and include a centralprong and two peripheral prongs on either side of the central prong.

With reference to FIGS. 20 and 21 , to assemble the charger 134, thecoil assembly 478 is connected together. In particular, the primary coil466 is wound around the outer surface of the bobbin 468 and the centralprong of the core 470 may be inserted through a center of the bobbin 468with the outer prongs be positioned on a top and a bottom of the bobbin468 and primary coil 466. The coil assembly 478 is then mounted to thecircuit board 472, which may be a printed circuit board, andelectronically connected to the connection wire 474.

With reference to FIGS. 19 and 20 , the magnets 476 a, 476 b may beinserted into the respective magnet pockets 464 a, 464 b in the chargerhousing 434. The coil assembly 478 and circuit board 472 can then bereceived into the charger housing 434 and the connection wire 474 may beelectrically connected to the power cord 136. The exterior surface 480may then be connected to the charger housing 434 and secured thereto.

Operation of the charger 134 to charge the batteries of the oralirrigator 100 will now be discussed in more detail. With reference toFIGS. 2A and 2B, the user aligns the charger 134 with the outer surfaceof the front shell 138 of the oral irrigator 100. In particular, theinterior surface 460 is aligned and abuts the outer surface of the frontshell 138. The magnets 476 a, 476 b of the charger 134 are attracted toand align with the magnets 450 a, 450 b connected to the front shell 138to align the charger 134 with the power assembly circuit board 196 andsecure the charger 134 to the oral irrigator 100. Additionally, theactivation switch 487 interacts with the magnets within the front shell138 to turn on the charger 134. For example, when the activation switchis a Hall effect sensor, as the charger 134 is secured in position, themagnet activates the Hall effect sensor, allowing the charger to beginto charge the batteries of the oral irrigator.

Once the charger 134 is connected to the oral irrigator 100, the usermay connect the power cord 136 to an electrical source, such as a walloutlet, battery, or the like. Once connected to a power source, thecharger 134 causes a current to be induced in the coil assembly 194 ofthe oral irrigator. FIG. 22 is a simplified diagram illustrating theoperation of the charger 134. With reference to FIG. 22 , duringcharging, current is transmitted from the power cord 136 of the charger134 to the primary coil assembly 478 via the circuit board 472 and wire474. Current moves through the primary coil 466, which creates amagnetic field due to the core 470. As the two coil assemblies 194, 478for the oral irrigator 100 and charger 134 are separated by a small gap456 (defined by the thickness of the front shell 138 and the chargerhousing 454); the magnetic field generated by the primary coil assembly478 induces a current in the secondary coil 486 of the secondary coilassembly 194. The current induced in the secondary coil 486 is thentransmitted to the batteries 412 a, 412 b to charge the battery pack.

As discussed above, due to the twisted copper wire configuration of thecoils 466, 486 the charge currents generated are larger as compared toconventional inductive charging devices. This allows the oral irrigator100 to charge more quickly than conventional inductive devices.Additionally, the multiple wires reduce heat generated by the coilsduring charging, which reduces the risk of damage to other components ofthe oral irrigator 100, such as the shell 138, housings, etc., and helpsto prevent the outer surfaces of the oral irrigator 100 from becomingheated, which could present a risk to a user.

Further, the cooling grooves 462 a, 462 b allow airflow to flow betweenthe charger 134 and the outer surface of the oral irrigator 100, evenwhen the charger 134 is connected to the irrigator 100. The coolinggrooves 462 a, 462 b may be spaced around the primary coil assembly 478to allow heat dissipation from the coil assembly 478 during charging.The heat dissipation provided by the cooling grooves 462 a, 462 b helpsto cool the coil 478 and helps to prevent the heat generated duringcharging from damaging other components, such as the charger housing 454and/or oral irrigator housing. This allows the charger housing 454 to bemade out of plastics or other similar materials as the risk of meltingor other damage is minimized by the cooling grooves 462 a, 462 b.

With continued reference to FIG. 22 , during charging, themicroprocessor 484 or microcontroller (or other processing element),which may be on the main circuit board 204 and/or the circuit board 196,may monitor the status of the batteries 412 a, 412 b. When the voltage(or other characteristic, e.g., a “battery full signal”) sensed by themicroprocessor 484 drops below a predetermined threshold, themicroprocessor 484 may determine that the batteries 412 a, 412 b arecharged to a desired percentage. The microprocessor 484 may thendeactivate the charger to preserve energy. For example, themicroprocessor 484 may send a signal to the charger 134 to indicate thatthe connection to the power supply should be deactivated. Bydeactivating the charging process when the batteries have been fullycharged, the lifespan of the batteries 412 a, 412 b may be increased.For example, in some instances the batteries 412 a, 412 b may be nickelmetal hydride (NiMH) batteries 412 a, 412 b and overcharging thebatteries once they have reached capacity may reduce the life span.Because the charging system of the oral irrigator 100 may monitor thecharging capacity of the batteries during charging, and deactivate thecharging when capacity is reached, the batteries 412 a, 412 b may havean increased life span as compared to conventional batteries. Further,because the charging system terminates charging when capacity isreached, the charging system is more energy efficient.

Slide Latch for the Removable Reservoir

As discussed above, in some embodiments, the reservoir 104 may beremovable from the body 102. In these embodiments, the oral irrigator100 may include a latching system to selectively secure and release thereservoir 104 from the body 102. FIGS. 26-28 illustrate a slide latchfor the oral irrigator. With reference to FIGS. 26-28 in thisembodiment, a latch assembly 500 may include a latch 516 and a button518 connected thereto. The latch assembly 500 is connected to reservoir104 and assists in securing the reservoir 104 to the body 102.

With reference to FIG. 28 , the latch 516 may be formed as a latch body538 that defines a void area 521 surrounded by a perimeter 523. A firstfinger 526 and a second finger 528 may each extend from the perimeter523 into the void area 521 parallel to each other. The two fingers 526,528 are connected on one end to the latch body 538 and are free on theopposite end so that the fingers 526, 528 are flexible relative to thelatch body 538. The two fingers 526, 528 may be secured on opposite endsrelative to each other so that the secured end of the first finger 526is adjacent to the free end of the second finger 528 and vice versa.Each of the fingers 526, 528 may include a securing element on theirrespective free ends. For example, the first finger 526 may include anub 524 formed on its free end and the second finger 528 may include atang 520 formed on its free end. The two securing elements may beoriented so as to extend upwards from a top surface 525 of the latch516.

With reference to FIGS. 27 and 28 , the latch 516 may also include twopegs 522 a, 522 b extending from a bottom surface 527 of the latch body538. The pegs 522 a, 522 b may be parallel to each and extend from thelatch body 538 so as to border the ends of the fingers 526, 528 on thebottom surface 527. The button 518 of the latch assembly 500 may beconnected to the latch 516 via the pegs 522 a, 522 b. For example, thepegs 522 a, 522 b may include apertures 529 defined therein may extendthrough the latch body 538 to the top surface 525 and that may beconfigured to receive corresponding pegs on the button 518. This mayallow the button 518 to be removable from the latch 516. However, inother embodiments, the latch 516 and the button 518 may be formed as anintegral, single component or be permanently connected to one another.

With reference to FIG. 29 , in embodiments including the latch assembly500, the reservoir 104 may include a latch cavity 504 or recess definedon a bottom surface 502. The latch cavity 504 may include a track 506for the latch 516, the track 506 including a first end and a second endforming a first stop 508 and a second stop 510, respectively. The latchcavity 504 may also include a first detent 534 and a second detent 536aligned adjacent to and set off from the track 506. The bottom surface502 of the reservoir 104 may also include an unlock icon 530 and a lockicon 532 painted, molded, etched, or otherwise formed in the bottomsurface 502. Alternatively, the icons may be attached via adhesive orthe like (e.g., as a decal or sticker). The unlock icon 530 correspondsto a position of the latch 516 where the reservoir 104 is removable fromthe body 102 and the lock icon 532 corresponds to a position of thelatch 516 where the reservoir 104 is secured to the body 102.

With reference to FIGS. 26-29 , the latch assembly 500 may be connectedto the reservoir 104 and body 102 so that the latch 516 is arranged inthe latch cavity 504 with the first finger 526 being aligned with thefirst and second detents 534, 536 and the second finger 528 beingaligned with the track 506. The tang 520 is positioned between the firststop 508 and the second stop 510 within the track 506 and the nub 524 ispositioned within one of the detents 534, 536. The button 518 isconnected so as to face away from the bottom surface 502 of thereservoir 104.

Operation of the latch assembly 500 will now be discussed in moredetail. With continued reference to FIGS. 26-29 , in the lockedposition, the latch 516 may be positioned so that a first end of thebutton 518 abuts against the body 102 and the latch body 538 extendsbetween a first shelf 512 and a bottom surface 514 of the front shell138 of the body 102. The first shelf 512 and the bottom surface 514 actto sandwich the latch 516 therebetween and prevent vertical movement ofthe latch 516. This restraint assists in securing the reservoir 104 tothe body 102. The reservoir 104 may be restrained from lateral movementby the flange 171 that seals against the interior surface of the frontshell 138. Thus, when in the locked position, the latch assembly 500helps to prevent the reservoir 104 from being removed from the body 102.

To unlock the reservoir 104, a user slides the button 518 in the DUdirection towards the unlock icon 530. As the button 518 slides, thelatch 516 moves correspondingly, and the first finger 526 flexesdownward and the nub 524 disengages from the first detent 534 and slidestowards the second detent 536, flexing upwards to seat the nub 524 inthe second detent 536. At the same time, the second finger 528 moveswithin the track 506 and the tang 520 moves from abutting against thesecond stop 510 to abutting against the first stop 508. Once the tang520 abuts against the first stop 508 and the nub 524 is seated in thesecond detent 536, the latch 516 is positioned in the unlock positionand adjacent the unlock icon 530. This lateral movement of the latch 516within the latch cavity 504 locates the latch 516 so that the latch 516is no longer positioned between the first shelf 512 and the bottomsurface 514 of the front shell 138. With the latch 516 disengaged fromthe front shell 138, a user may move the reservoir 104 verticallydownwards away from the body 102 and front shell 138, disconnecting theflange 171 of the reservoir 104 from its sealed position, allowing thereservoir 104 to be removed.

To secure the reservoir 104 back to the body 102, the reservoir 104flange 171 is repositioned within the body 102 and the bottom surface502 of the reservoir 104 is aligned with the bottom surface 514 of thefront shell 138. Once aligned, the user slides the button 518 in thelock direction DL towards the lock icon 532. As the button 518 moveslaterally, the latch 516 moves correspondingly and seats between thefirst shelf 512 and the bottom surface 514 and the fingers 526, 528 moveto the locked positions, with the nub 524 seated in the first detent 534and the tang 520 positioned adjacent the second stop 510. In theseembodiments, the tang 520 and nub 524 provide haptic and audiblefeedback to a user to indicate that the latch 516 has moved to theunlocked or locked positions.

It should be noted that in embodiments where the reservoir 104 isremovable from the body 102, other latching or securing mechanisms maybe used as well. For example, a spring latch including a molded integralspring body may be used. The type of latch or securing assembly may bevaried based on the shape and configuration of the reservoir and body.

Battery Venting

In some embodiments, the oral irrigator includes a venting assembly forthe battery compartment. FIGS. 30A and 30B illustrate various views ofthe venting assembly. With reference to FIGS. 30A and 30B, the ventingassembly 600 is formed as a part of the battery cap 198 and includes avent 608 that attaches to the battery cap 198. As will be discussedbelow, the vent 608 provides mitigation for battery outgassing and willequalize the pressure within the battery compartment. Depending on theconfiguration of the oral irrigator and batteries, the vent assembly 600may be positioned on a number of different walls of the batterycompartment. However, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B, theventing assembly 600 is formed as part of the battery cap 198.

With reference to FIGS. 30A and 30B, the battery cap 198 in this exampleincludes one or more battery stabilizing walls 604 extending upwardsfrom a top surface 610 of the cap base 602. The stabilizing walls 604may be shaped so as to match the diameter and shape of the batteries andmay be modified depending on the configuration and desired stabilizationof the batteries. The top surface 610 of the cap base 602 may be raisedor elevated relative to the edge of the base 602, which allows thereservoir to have an increased capacity as discussed above. The topsurface 610 may also include a plurality of positioning brackets 606 a,606 b, 606 c, 606 d that are used to position the vent 608 on thebattery cap 198. The positioning brackets 606 a, 606 b, 606 c, 606 d maybe substantially any type of configuration, but in one embodiment are Lor U shaped brackets having rounded corners. The positioning brackets606 a, 606 b, 606 c, 606 d may be spaced apart from one another and aretypically configured so that the vent 608 can be positioned within aspace defined between each of the brackets 606 a, 606 b, 606 c, 606 d.

With reference to FIG. 30B, the battery cap 198 also includes a ventingaperture 614 defined through the top surface 610 of the cap base 602.The venting aperture 614 is positioned in generally a central regionbetween each of the positioning brackets 606 a, 606 b, 606 c, 606 d. Theventing aperture 614 has a diameter selected to allow proper venting forthe battery cavity and may be determined based on the size, number, andtype of batteries used for the oral irrigator 100.

With continued reference to FIG. 30B, in some embodiments, the ventingassembly 600 may also include an attachment protrusion 612 extendingupwards from the top surface 610. The attachment protrusion 612 maysurround the venting aperture 614 but be spaced apart therefrom by agroove 616 concentric with the venting aperture 614. The attachmentprotrusion 612 is used to form a seal with the vent 608 as will bediscussed in more detail below.

The vent 608 is positioned over the venting aperture 614 and is amaterial impermeable to fluids, but allows gases and air to passtherethrough. For example, the vent 608 may be a laminated product ofporous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or porousultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE), such as DeWAL 235epby DeWal Industries. The vent 608 is sized and shaped so as to cover thevent aperture 614 and may be varied as desired.

With reference to FIGS. 30A and 30B, the connection of the ventingassembly 600 will now be discussed in more detail. The vent 608 ispositioned between the positioning brackets 606 a, 606 b, 606 c, 606 dand over the vent aperture 614 and the attachment protrusion 612. Thevent 608 typically may be centered over the vent aperture 614, but aslong as the vent 608 is positioned so as to completely cover the ventaperture 614 and the attachment protrusion 612, it does not need to becentered (e.g., as shown in FIG. 30A). Once the vent 608 is aligned withthe venting aperture 614 and the attachment protrusion 612, the vent 608is attached to the battery cap 198. For example, a heat staking processmay be used that heats the vent 608 and the battery cap 198 so that thematerial forming the attachment protrusion 612 melts to the vent 608material and fuses therewith. As the material from the attachmentprotrusion 612 melts to the battery cap 198, a seal is formed around theventing aperture 614, which acts to prevent liquids from entering in orexiting the battery compartment via the venting aperture 614, as well assecures the vent 608 to the battery cap 198. After the vent 608 isattached to the battery cap 198, the battery cap 198 is connected to theoral irrigator as discussed above.

In operation, the venting assembly 600, in particular the vent 608 andventing aperture 614 allow gasses, such as gases due to outgassing fromthe batteries, to pass through the battery cap 198 and exit the batterycompartment. This allows the pressure within the battery compartment andother locations within the dry compartments to be equalized with ambientpressure. This equalization feature helps to prevent the sealingfeatures, such as the diaphragm seal 274, from being damaged due tovariations in air pressure (e.g., shipping the product from a lowaltitude to a high altitude).

Conclusion

As discussed above, the oral irrigator of the present disclosure may bewaterproof and be able to be immersed within 1 meter of water withoutdamage to the internal components. Further, internal leakage, such asleakage from the pump, may be sealed from reaching any electroniccomponents. In some embodiments, the oral irrigator may also include awaterproofing spray, such as a super-hydrophobic coating, on certainelectronic components, such as the batteries, circuit boards, and so on.In these embodiments, the coating may repel water and some fluids andthus further help to prevent damage to the electronic components due tofluid.

It should be noted that any of the features in the various examples andembodiments provided herein may be interchangeable and/or replaceablewith any other example or embodiment. As such, the discussion of anycomponent or element with respect to a particular example or embodimentis meant as illustrative only. It should be noted that although thevarious examples discussed herein have been discussed with respect tooral irrigators, the devices and techniques may be applied in a varietyof applications, such as, but not limited to, toothbrushes, bathappliances, or the like.

All directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward, downward, left,right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical,horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used foridentification purposes to aid the reader’s understanding of theexamples of the invention, and do not create limitations, particularlyas to the position, orientation, or use of the invention unlessspecifically set forth in the claims. Joinder references (e.g.,attached, coupled, connected, joined and the like) are to be construedbroadly and may include intermediate members between the connection ofelements and relative movement between elements. As such, joinderreferences do not necessarily infer that two elements are directlyconnected and in fixed relation to each other.

In some instances, components are described by reference to “ends”having a particular characteristic and/or being connected with anotherpart. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the presentinvention is not limited to components which terminate immediatelybeyond their point of connection with other parts. Thus the term “end”should be broadly interpreted, in a manner that includes areas adjacentrearward, forward of or otherwise near the terminus of a particularelement, link, component, part, member or the like. In methodologiesdirectly or indirectly set forth herein, various steps and operationsare described in one possible order of operation but those skilled inthe art will recognize the steps and operation may be rearranged,replaced or eliminated without necessarily departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention. It is intended that all matter containedin the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail orstructure may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionas defined in the appended claims.

1. An oral irrigator comprising: a body; a reservoir connected to thebody; a tip connected to the body; a motor positioned within the bodyand including a drive shaft; a pinion gear connected to the drive shaft;a driven gear engaged with the pinion gear; a pump body positionedwithin the body and defining a pump chamber for receiving fluid from thereservoir; a piston positioned within the pump body, wherein the pistonslidably engages an interior surface of the pump body to form afluid-tight seal; and a connecting rod including a first end connectedto the piston, a second end eccentrically connected to the driven gear,and a shaft extending from the first end to the second end, wherein theshaft includes a first rib and a second rib spaced apart from the firstrib along a length of the shaft.
 2. The oral irrigator of claim 1,wherein the first rib and the second rib extend around an outerperimeter of the shaft.
 3. The oral irrigator of claim 1, wherein thefirst rib and the second rib are annular shaped.
 4. The oral irrigatorof claim 1, wherein the first rib and the second rib are positioned in amiddle portion of the connecting rod.
 5. The oral irrigator of claim 1,wherein the shaft has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and whereinthe first rib and the second rib follow an outer surface of the shaftand extend radially outward.
 6. The oral irrigator of claim 5, whereinthe first rib and the second rib each include a cylindrical outersurface.
 7. The oral irrigator of claim 1, wherein the first end of theconnecting rod comprises a ball.
 8. The oral irrigator of claim 1,wherein the second end of the connecting rod comprises a cylindricalwall defining a gear aperture.
 9. The oral irrigator of claim 1, whereinthe piston includes an outwardly extending wall that forms a sealagainst the interior surface of the pump body.
 10. The oral irrigator ofclaim 1, wherein the piston includes a sealed top end forming a pedestalwith an annular groove defined on the top end.
 11. An oral irrigatorcomprising: a body; a reservoir connected to the body; a tip connectedto the body; a motor positioned within the body and including arotatable drive shaft; a pinion gear connected to the drive shaft; adriven gear engaged with the pinion gear; a pump body positioned withinthe body and defining a pump chamber for receiving fluid from thereservoir; a piston positioned within the pump body, wherein the pistonforms a fluid-tight seal with, and is slidable along, an interiorsurface of the pump body; and a connecting rod including a first endconnected to the piston, a second end connected to the driven gear, anda shaft extending from the first end to the second end, wherein theshaft includes a first rib and a second rib spaced apart from the firstrib along a length of the shaft.
 12. The oral irrigator of claim 11,wherein the first rib and the second rib extend around an outerperimeter of the shaft.
 13. The oral irrigator of claim 11, wherein thefirst rib and the second rib are annular shaped.
 14. The oral irrigatorof claim 11, wherein the first rib and the second rib are positioned ina middle portion of the connecting rod.
 15. The oral irrigator of claim11, wherein the shaft has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, andwherein the first rib and the second rib follow an outer surface of theshaft and extend radially outward.
 16. The oral irrigator of claim 15,wherein the first rib and the second rib each include a cylindricalouter surface.
 17. The oral irrigator of claim 11, wherein the shaftfurther includes a raised portion extending radially outward from anouter surface of the shaft to a lesser extent than the first rib and thesecond rib, wherein the raised portion extends from the first rib to thesecond rib along the length of the shaft.
 18. The oral irrigator ofclaim 11, wherein the first end of the connecting rod comprises a ball.19. The oral irrigator of claim 11, wherein the second end of theconnecting rod comprises a cylindrical wall defining a gear aperture.20. The oral irrigator of claim 11, wherein the piston includes anoutwardly extending wall that forms a seal against the interior surfaceof the pump body.